Summer Lovin'
by dreamcruiser
Summary: A series of Taiora drabbles and one shots. Trips to the beach, soccer in the park, and chocolate ice cream. Tai and Sora just can't get enough of summer.
1. Beating the Heat

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. I'm a college student and I am spending my summer as an added statistic to the unemployed; in other words, I'm poor.

**Author's Note**: This will be a series of Taiora drabbles and one shots, all revolving around summer and just moments Tai and Sora have while spending time together enjoying their free time :). It started off with me just writing one, but I kept getting ideas for more, all including the summer in one way or another. So this is what exists now due to an overactive imagination.

**  
**

**Summer Lovin'**  
by dreamcruiser

**1: Beating the Heat**

There's a record breaking heat wave going on in the streets of Tokyo. It's so hot you can see the heat itself rising from the asphalt. Every bit of breeze is cherished by the masses who go about their day like zombies, minds infected by the offending sun. Every unfortunate soul that happens to be out on those streets is sweating bullets, their glands supplying the power of an AK-47.

Despite this, Taichi Kamiya wishes summer would never end.

It could be because he and Sora Takenouchi are holed up inside the Kamiya apartment, watching TV. It's just them two; his parents are out at work and his sister is out with some friends (that's the most amount of detail she would give them leaving them to believe that she's out with friend, singular; who exactly, they can only guess it's one out of two boys). The air conditioner is on at full power, along with a fan set beside them blasting air at 100 mph, only helping to contribute to the already frigid atmosphere of the room.

He leans back against the couch while she's sprawled across it, her head in his lap, an almost finished orange flavored popsicle in her hand. His has been long gone, a stick dangling from his mouth. He's trying to figure out how to take a bite out of hers without her noticing. Or at least take a chunk fast enough before she can pull it out of his range. He swore he could hear the bright orange calling to him...

"Tai," she says in a warning tone, eyes fixed on the TV, "don't even think about it." And with that, she finishes it off. Discouraged, all thoughts of the popsicle go flying out of his head as his attention goes back to the television. She takes both of their sticks, pulling his out of his mouth, and is able to toss them straight into the trash can in succession, all without having to avert her gaze or shift from her position on the couch; she had settled in and she was going to stay that way. Such is the way of the lazy on a hot summer day.

With nothing but soaps on at this time of day, they are stuck watching them. After watching for half an hour, they still have no idea why Mika is in jail (for reasons unknown, she is clad in the latest designer fashions, hair done and all while doing time), why Otori is plotting to kill his twin brother (with a highly elaborate and confrontational plan), and whether or not Aoi will come out of the coma she is in (as the doctor slowly falls in love with her widowed mother).

"Suckers," he comments, referring to the TV. Ah, the doomed couple stuck on the deserted island after their luxury cruise ship sank. "Or not," he says upon seeing the two frolicking in the sand together, losing pieces of clothing here and there, forming a trail along the beach.

She gives a hum of agreement before nuzzling into the fabric of his shirt. She always thought that shade of blue looked good on him. (That shirt was given to him by her, after all. Of course it looked good on him.) She can hear the TV, the loving whispers and promises of forever. For a moment, she imagines it were them stuck on that deserted island. Caressing her face against his shirt, she revels in the feeling of the cotton picking up the scent of his detergent. Spring breeze, or something like that.

He chuckles, her nose tickling his stomach. She lets out a giggle of her own, his laughter contagious. He's always been ticklish. All of a sudden she feels drowsy and lets out a contented sigh, eyelids only slightly open. He stretches to get the remote and turns off the TV so the only sounds left in the room are the movement of the fan and their steady breathing.

She feels him reach out to play with her hair, his fingers running through her fiery strands. She relishes in the feeling of him touching her. She smiles knowing he can feel the movement of her lips and she hears his laugh again.

"I'll never get tired of hearing you laugh," she murmurs. It's times like these she could die, and die happy; being with him, it might as well be heaven. Before she dozes off into a deep slumber, one thought runs through her head...

She wishes that summer would never end.

**End.**

**--- **

**End Notes**: Er... yeah. Not much plot, huh? OH WELL! At least there's a bit of Taiora-ness.

AND! I have no idea what Japanese soap operas are like if they even have them, and if they do, no idea what they are like, so yeah.

But anyway, enough blabbing. Please review and tell me what you thought! There will be more on the way...


	2. Ice Cream Isn't Always Cold

**Author's Note**: Here's the second in the series. Hope I didn't take _too _long to get it out. And summer's ending... but I'm going to keep these coming out as long as I still have ideas. I don't move back to school until late September, and actual class doesn't start until a week later (hooray!) so I'll have the time.

--

**Summer Lovin'**  
by dreamcruiser

**2: Ice Cream Isn't Always Cold**

"I'm in the mood for some ice cream."

It was the middle of winter, and they were currently on their way home after school, trudging through the snow covered sidewalks. Unfortunately for them, the small snow storm had come earlier than the weather man had predicted, having come and gone during school hours. But it left them coat-less, boot-less, and glove-less. All that protected them from the hardly unbearable but quite uncomfortable cold were their school uniforms. And considering she was in a skirt, she found the cold a little more uncomfortable than her companion.

So the sudden need for ice cream came a bit uncalled for. Sora stared at Tai, eyes going wide with disbelief. "Are you crazy? It's freezing."

"Crazy? Maybe a little. But when a man's got a craving for food..." he trailed off, patting his stomach.

Sora let out a noise that sounded something like something between a laugh and a scoff. "Since when were you a man?"

"Ouch." But the two laughed. An insult was never really an insult between them. Unless one decided to throw up in the other's hat without telling her. Or if the insult was hidden within a seemingly kind gesture, such as giving a really nice hair clip for her birthday when he really thought she needed a new hairstyle. But I digress.

Tai dragged Sora into the deserted shop by her sleeve and approached the counter. Sora was horrified by the fact that it seemed colder inside the ice cream shop than outdoors with the already biting cold. The employee at the counter (a college student most likely, he couldn't be more than twenty) was dead asleep. Sora wondered to herself if that glint on the employee's face was drool.

Tai cleared his throat and looked at the worker-who-should-be-working expectantly. The employee replied with a loud snore that indicated he was still in dream land. Tai cleared his throat again, louder and more insistently. Another snore. Tai leaned over, his mouth positioned right next to the employee's ear. "HEY!" The employee woke up with a jump, sniffing and wiping the moisture off of his face with the back of his hand. He blinked several times before his eyes focused, and looked up at the two teens.

Sora rolled her eyes and turned to Tai who was attempting to stifle his laughter. "Jeez. I don't see why you can't wait for summer for this."

The guy grinned sheepishly before going to a nearby sink to wash his hands and wipe his face clean of the drool. "So kid, what can I get you?" he asked Tai as he wiped his hands on a paper towel.

"Well," Tai eyed the worker's name tag, "_Mitsuro_, I'll have a double scoop of chocolate." He was a bit miffed at being called a kid when the idiot who called him that was obviously not that much older than himself.

"And for the lady?" He gave Sora a wink. She resisted from rolling her eyes again. If that was his idea of being smooth, it still needed some ironing. Tai glared at Mitsuro and put an arm around her. The look on Mitsuro's face clearly read 'oops'. "My mistake," he muttered red-faced before getting to work on Tai's order.

They looked on as Mitsuro brandished the ice cream scoop and stabbed into the mound labeled chocolate. Sora's horror only increased to see that the ice cream seemed to be completely solid as Mitsuro continued to hack at it.

"Summer's the only good time to have ice cream," she claimed, staring at Mitsuro's work.

Mitsuro finally had one scoopful, and gestured to the array of various cones Tai could choose from.

Tai scanned them before quickly deciding. "Yeah, a waffle cone," he chose as Mitsuro's hand hovered over it.

"Why would you want to freeze yourself from the inside anyway?" Sora continued. "Especially when it's like negative a hundred degrees outside! So I'm exaggerating, but still..."

Tai started to fish out some money out of his pocket (they'd been there plenty of times during the summer, he'd had the prices memorized).

"Honestly, we should be going for hot chocolate, not chocolate ice cream!"

Mitsuro accepted Tai's money and gave him the change. All the while, they ignored Sora's complaining. "Thank you! Please come again."

"What's so great about winter anyway? You can't even play tennis or soccer with all the snow!"

"Want some?"

"Hmph." He wasn't even listening to her rants, only relishing in the rich chocolate-y goodness of the ice cream. Typical. She gave the offending ice cream a look of disdain.

He merely shrugged. "Your loss." And they continued on their way out the door, a small jingle parting goodbye.

"I guess winter can have its good points. I mean, snowball fights can be fun and all. But nothing can beat summer. Going to the beach, camping, soccer in the park-"

"Are you sure you don't want some?" he interrupted, "It's _really_ good." He taunted her by waving the half finished ice cream around her face.

She glanced between the halfway finished ice cream to his grinning face. She let out a grumble, but discontinued her rant. "Fine."

He held out the cone to her, but it was too far from her mouth. She reached out to pull it towards her, fingers grasping his wrist lightly. She was startled by the warmth of Tai's skin in comparison to her frigid fingertips. Goosebumps made their way down her arms, a reaction that couldn't possibly be blamed on the cold. For a moment she reveled at the idea that such minimal physical contact still gave her butterflies. She gave the ice cream a lick and despite all logic, she found the chocolate flavor warming her up.

"It's good right?"

She didn't answer, just smiled back. Of course it was good (it's chocolate ice cream!), but there was no way that she was going to submit to Tai's strange ways. But in her head, she decided that around him, it would always be summer.

**End.**

--

**End Notes**: It ended up not having as much Taiora as I had planned in the beginning. Er... sorry. In my next one I'll try to have a lot more. Personally, I've always found it quite difficult to write out physical contact in comparison to conversations and whatnot. But for Taiora, I'll try to get more physical. Heh. It's not a promise, by I'll try.

Anyway, review and please tell me what you thought!


	3. Remember to Forget the Sunscreen

**Author's Note**: And here I offer a third helping of this series. It's all mindless drivel, but definitely has its share of Taiora goodness. I'm making up for the lack of which in the last installment. Enjoy!

**--**

**Summer Lovin'**  
by dreamcruiser

**3: Remember to Forget the Sunscreen  
**

Taichi was starting to regret taking that trip to the beach with everyone. Granted, he got to see his girlfriend in a brand new bikini ("Mimi said that I _had_ to get it.") but the painful sunburn he had was like the punishment for the privilege of seeing her gorgeous self.

He milled about the apartment shirtless, in too much pain to sit down, lest the skin on his back touch something. Oh well. At least he still had the memory of her and those shapely legs, that flat stomach, the very lovely curves of her che...

A sharp knocking at the door wrenched him from his daydreaming. Disgruntled, having to be pulled away from Sora, albeit an imaginary one, he opened the door with a sharp "What?" only to met by the real thing. His anger (and scowl) immediately dissipated at the sight of her. She wasn't wearing a bikini, but in a simple shirt-and-shorts outfit she still looked pretty damn good to him.

"I thought you could use some of this right about now," she said holding up a tube of lotion.

His eyes widened. "Ooh... kinky," he teased.

She rolled her eyes and slapped him on the arm, ignoring the cry of pain her actions drew from him. "It's aloe vera lotion, you idiot. I didn't have actual aloe vera gel, so this is what I brought. I mean, after you didn't listen to me when I told you to put some sunscreen on yesterday, I figured you'd be totally burnt by now. This is for your back and stuff." She eyed his skin, a scalding red, just as she imagined.

He reached for the tube. "Oh... Sora, always oh-so thoughtful!" he swooned.

She pulled it away in feigned anger. "Don't make me feel stupid for doing this for you!"

"Aw, come on Sora. You know I appreciate this, really." And to accentuate his point, he gave her a peck on the cheek. "Come on in."

She looked about the apartment. TV off. Kitchen counter clear of food. Very suspicious. "So what have you been _doing_ all day?"

"Well..." He thought back to the delightful daydreaming he had been doing prior to her arrival. Daydreams that were on their way to borderline indecent until her knocking had interrupted. He blushed. "N-Nothing much. Just hanging out."

"Hah. Doesn't sound like _n-nothing much_," she laughed.

He shrugged it off, hoping she'd drop it. "Do you want something to drink?" He started moving towards the kitchen.

"Actually," she grabbed his hand to prevent him from walking any further, "do you think we can we go to your room?"

"So it _is_ kinky!"

Sora just chuckled and pulled him into his bedroom. "Now just lay down on the bed, and leave everything to me."

Her words left him wondering what she was up to, but he did as he was told, despite the burning sensation the contact on his comforter gave him.

"No, on your stomach."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you _sure_ this isn't kinky?"

But he turned over, as per her instructions. He heard her pop open the cap of the tube of lotion. _Oh_. He couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. But not _too_ disappointed; not when he knew his girlfriend was about to give him a rub down. And especially not when he felt her get onto the bed and straddle him from behind and begin to let her hands do their work on him. Definitely no disappointment there.

"This might hurt a little, but just relax."

It hurt, stinging a bit, but it was the good kind of hurt. The kind that came with a degree of relief along with the pain. The relief came from the sensation of the cool lotion, her hands moving in smooth circles across his skin.

She started up at near his shoulders. Slowly, she made her way down his back, feeling his muscles tense every time she came across one of the more painful spots. Once in a while she would even hear him hiss in pain. She'd stop but he'd urge her on. Once she finished off with his lower back, she moved to sit next to him.

"Okay, now turn over and sit up."

"But I'm not sunburned anywhere else. Not badly, anyway," he said upon shifting to the requested position and inspecting his arms.

"I am," she stated, placing her legs in his lap. She handed him the lotion and smirked. "Your turn."

He countered with a grin of his own and squirted out a bit of lotion onto his hand. He began to apply the soothing liquid to her calves. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were flirting with me, Sora Takenouchi."

"And if you _did_ know better, what would you say I was doing, Taichi Kamiya?"

"Well..." Tai searched his head for a reasonable answer. One that didn't end with her punching him in the jaw and leaving his apartment in a huff. "Spending quality time with your loving boyfriend?"

She paused and looked at him for a moment. His hands, currently working on her thighs, froze from their job. "I suppose that'll do. For now."

Tai let out an audible sigh of relief.

"I was thinking I was doing something more along the lines of... Oh, I don't know." She leaned forward to give him a kiss on the spot on his neck right below his ear. "Trying to get into your pants?"

It was his turn to pause and look at her for a moment, eyebrows raised, a bit of hope in his stare. "Are you serious?" The images of his daydreams came flooding back into his head.

"Absolutely not!"

And evaporated. "God, I hate it when you tease me like that!"

She giggled hopped off the bed. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Yeah, whatever." Slightly bereft, he moved to sit at the edge of his bed, feet touching the floor.

She turned to look at him seriously, traces of laughter gone from her face. "You know I want it as much as you do. I'm just not ready for that, not right now."

"Of course. I would never..." He didn't have to say it because he knew she didn't need the reassurance. "I'd wait forever for you, you know."

She pealed into fits of laughter. "You can be so corny!" The conversation lifted once again, taking a sharp u-turn and staving off the direction into dire seriousness. "Honestly, you can be kind of embarrassing sometimes."

"You know you like it." The trademark Tai smirk graced his features.

"Fine, I admit it. A hopeless romantic, am I." She glided towards him to stand in front of him between his knees. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked down at him. "And for the record, just because sex is out of the question doesn't mean making out is." She leaned down, touching her lips to his. He encircled her waist with his arms and smiled into her kiss, the image of the bikini lingering in his head.

--

"I'm back!" Kari announced as she entered the apartment.

Sora had been long gone and Tai was relaxing on the couch, but he couldn't find it in himself to stop his incessant grinning.

"What have you been doing all day?" She looked around the apartment. TV off. Kitchen counter clear of food. Shirtless Tai. Kari's expression turned curious, suspicious even. "And why are you all... smiley?"

"No reason."

He answered that just a little too quickly. She narrowed her eyes, looking at him more closely.

"Actually Kar, I was just wondering, do you think we'll take another trip to the beach anytime soon?" He'd take sunburns for Sora any day.

"I guess that all depends."

"On what?"

"When everyone recovers from their sunburns!" She laughed while he grumbled. "Actually, do you know if we have any aloe vera in the house? I heard it helps."

"We have some aloe vera lotion. It's on my desk."

Kari temporarily disappeared before returning to the living room, tube in hand and a new outfit: a shirt-and-shorts combo, shorts that happened to be dangerously short. "I'm just going to be borrowing your lotion for a while." She headed towards the door. "I'm going to be at TK's. I'll be back in a couple of hours!" she called out as she shut the door behind her.

It took Tai a moment for his mind to rewind exactly what his sister's words were.

It took a few more moments for him to piece together exactly what she was planning to do at TK's.

But it only took a split second after that for him to go running out the door screaming her name.

**End.**

**--**

**End Notes**: I don't normally write physical scenes, so this one has me kind of bashful... and nervous. I find it difficult to couple the emotional with the physical. I think I still need a lot of practice. I'm not really sure if it was any good. And I hope it isn't too short or feels like it cuts off. (It actually came out longer than I had thought it would.) I'm very uncertain about this one. But I suppose I could have done worse. I need all the advice I can get.

I also hope you guys enjoyed the little Kamiya sibling scene at the end there. I think Taichi in big brother mode can be quite amusing at times. I also have a hormone driven Taichi, also amusing.

Please review and tell me what you thought! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.


	4. The Scenic Route

**Author's Note**: Here is part four. Only one more to go. Sorry to those who are enjoying this, but yes, I'm ending it with the next installment. Seeing as summer's over, I though it somewhat pointless to continue. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this drabble.

--

**Summer Lovin'**  
by dreamcruiser

**4: The Scenic Route**

The sun was low on the horizon, the day coming to an end. But their road trip was just beginning. So what if they were a couple of hours behind schedule? As long as they made it to their destination, that was all that mattered.

Sora could feel herself start to nod off. The rest of her companions were already dozing, except of course, Tai the driver. He had taken the scenic route just for her, and she was enjoying it. But listening to nothing but the gentle hum of the engine, her friends' steady breathing, the feel of the smooth road beneath them, was just... enough... to...

"Don't fall asleep on me now!"

Sora jolted awake. She looked back to everyone else. No one else had been shaken by Tai's outburst. "Well everyone else is asleep," she whined.

"Since when were you the type that followed the crowd?"

"Oh, shut up," she said with a short laugh. "You are so lame."

Their short conversation came to a lull. Until Tai chuckled lowly under his breath.

Sora looked at him, eyebrows raised. "What is it?"

He turned to her surprised, almost as if his laugh wasn't meant to be heard. "It's nothing."

She shrugged it off (because it probably _was_ nothing) but she didn't tear her gaze away from him. It was one of her favorite activities. Tai-gazing, that is. If there was one thing that could keep her awake, this was it.

She couldn't help but admire his looks. Now, in no way was she so shallow as to admire him only for his appearance, but she had to admit, he grew up quite nicely. And nothing made her happier than knowing that she had grown up with him. Except maybe the thought of continuing to tackle life alongside him.

It amazed her that so much of what she loved was embodied within one person. Her eyes combed his form. His legs, strong and powerful; they were practically built for soccer. His hands, gentle and delicate; who knew he had a knack of flower arranging? And then there were his eyes, so open and earnest. He never could tell a lie, even to save his life.

She loved the moments when they could enjoy the comfortable silence together. To her, a comfortable silence only existed with Tai. And as much as she enjoyed their playful banter, it was times like these she thought she liked him best with his mouth shut.

"Enjoying the view?"

Knowing very well that he was not talking about the landscape, she snapped her head forward, blushing.

Yes. This was definitely one of those times.

**End.**

**--**

**End Notes**: Yes. Short. I know. But there's a drabble for ya. The last one should be up soon. Meanwhile, please review this one. Reviews give me joy.


	5. Late Night Joyrides

**Author's Note**: Wow. Sorry it took so long to get this out. It was actually my Film class that inspired me (and reminded me!) to post the last chapter. And believe it or not, the topic of the week was fan-based media (i.e. fanfiction, fanart, and all things of the like). The discussion reminded me of this old thing that I've had, gathering up virtual dust over the months. And so, almost exactly a year and a half later, here it is! The last installment of _Summer Lovin'_. So, without further ado...

--

**Summer Lovin'**

by dreamcruiser

**5: Late Night Joyrides**

A loud electronic jingle broke the silence of an otherwise peaceful evening at the Takenouchi household. A slumbering Sora was unwillingly pulled out of her reverie. With a growl, she rolled over to squint at the glowing display screen of her phone. The name of her boyfriend laughed at her from the phone with each pulse of the vibration; it dared her to pick up. After a moment of debating whether or not to give in, she pushed the green button to retrieve the call.

"Hello?" she croaked.

"Sora! Are you busy right now?" She pulled the phone away from hearing range momentarily. Taichi Kamiya's loud chipper voice made her ears ring.

She sighed, but had to at least give him credit for having enough brains to call her cell and not the house phone. She didn't need her mom waking up and yelling at her for a spontaneous call from Taichi. "Not busy. But I'm definitely awake now. Why?"

"Just wondering if you were up to some late night joyriding."

She took a deep breath. _Stay calm, Sora, stay calm _became her mantra. "What makes you think I would want to do something like that? Especially at this time."

"…Hence the term 'late night.'"

"Oh no, Tai. That's where you're wrong. It's four _in the morning_. Tai, what are you thinking? Are you even thinking?"

"Oh, come on. It's not like we have school tomorrow."

"Oh but we do. The day _after _tomorrow, and unlike you, I would like to regulate my sleeping schedule and start off well rested."

"Hey! I'll be well rested. I guarantee you, I'll have at least an hour of sleep the night before."

"…Your sense of logic astounds me."

"My sense of logic astounds everyone."

"Point taken. But you know what? I think I'll take a rain check on that late night carousing. Good night!" And with that, she hung up the phone with a flourish, cutting off Taichi. She loved him and his hair-brained schemes, but sometimes they were a little too much.

She nestled back into her sheets, finding a comfortable position on her pillow before the jingle pierced the silence once again. She buried her head into the pillow, using it to cover her ears, but to no avail. Grumbling she picked up the phone once again.

Almost as if she didn't hang up to begin with, Taichi continued, "Since when do you refuse an offer for a late night drive? Why start now?"

"Be_cause_, Taichi, even partners in crime need their rest." Honestly, this kid never gives up. She sighed to herself for what felt like the millionth time that night, and probably the zillionth time since she'd known him.

He chuckled. "Well then, partner, I guess you're just going to have to get your rest tomorrow night."

"Oh?" The statement made her sit up, intrigued. "And why is that?"

"Because I'm standing outside your door."

Her hand slapped to her forehead in exasperation. "You're standing...? I don't believe this."

"Believe it." He laughed in mock triumph.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered under her breath. "Fine! Hold on while I grab a sweater… And am I correct in assuming that you will be the driver on this adventure?" She headed towards her closet to retrieve her light, red sweater that Taichi had given her for Christmas the year before.

"Umm," he hesitated. Hesitation was never a good thing. She waited for it. "Actually, my parents took the car away from me."

"Taichi!" she was fuming. "First you wake me up in the middle of the night. And you show up at my door, and _now _you expect me-"

"Kidding! I'm kidding. Calm down, sheesh. Don't I always drive anyway?"

"That wasn't funny! Here I am dragging my ass out of bed for you, and you're being a bit-"

"It was just a joke, Sora. You know me."

She continued rummaging through her closet looking for that sweater. "Well, I was just making sure. So I guess I WILL be getting some sleep tonight!"

"Sora! It won't be any fun if-"

"Found my sweater!"

"-the sound of you snoring is my only source of company."

"Hey! I resent that! I do not snore!"

"You do too. I remember, even when we were little, your snores were loud enough to shake up Highton View Terrance. Forget those terrorist attacks, your snoring was enough to do the damage."

"Oh. Ha. Ha. You think you're so funny don't you?" She expertly made her away past the creaks in the wooden floorboards to the front door.

"I try. So, are you coming out or not? It's getting kind of cold out here."

She paused in front of the door. "For being so funny, I'm starting to rethink going out on this little adventure. I'll talk to you later, Taichi."

"No! Wait! I was just joking."

She wasn't really going to hang up on him, but she would at least tell him face to face that she wasn't really intending on going on this little adventure. "Honestly, I don't see the whole point to this to begin with. We start school in a week. Seven days. We've had the whole summer to do stuff like this."

"That's my whole point. We only have a week off summer left. Seven days, just like you said. We need to make the most of it."

"I guess..."

"Think about it. When are we going to get another chance to do crazy stuff like this again? This is our last real, care free summer together."

"You're acting like this is the last time we're ever gonna spend a summer together."

"Look at us! We're growing up. We're heading off to college next year. You'll be busy. I'll be busy. There's just not going to be enough time for us to get together anymore!"

"Is that what you're afraid of? Losing me?"

"Among other things."

"You're always going to be my best friend. No matter what. I'll never be too busy for you."

There was an intake of breath from Tai's side of the phone. "You're cute. Really. I almost believed that."

"Taichi! Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?"

"Ridiculous, but true. You can't deny that."

"Don't you think our relationship… no, not even that, our _friendship _is stronger than that?"

"I like to think so. But you never know. What will happen in a year? Two? three? You don't know."

"Exactly. You never know what will happen in the future. Yes, we might drift apart. But we have just as good of a chance at being greater friends than we are now... Even more."

"But what happens when even _that_ doesn't last?"

"Tai, you are the most wonderful person who has ever come into my life. I would never want to lose you. You have to remember, I will always, and always have been your best friend first, your girlfriend later. Friendship isn't like a hobby you pick and drop. This isn't something you can quit whenever you want. With me, it's for life. Like it or not, it looks like you're stuck with me."

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

"So are you coming out or what? It's freezing."

She smiled. "It's summer. You're not freezing. But don't worry, I'm right here."

**End.**

--

**End Notes**: Though this has been on my plate since 2006 and haven't really been working on it in between then and now, I'm sad that it's officially over. But thanks to everyone for reading and for the great reviews! Never in a million years would I have expected such nice compliments. I really appreciate them. Thanks again! With that said, until next time! Hopefully it's not too far from now.


End file.
